Method for processing message and electronic device implementing the same

ABSTRACT

In an example embodiment, an electronic device includes a communication module comprising communication circuitry, a display, a sound output device comprising sound output circuitry, a processor, and a memory. Instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to control the communication module to transmit and/or receive a plurality of pieces of wireless access in vehicular environment (WAVE) information. In addition, the electronic device identifies a plurality of events, based on the plurality of pieces of WAVE information, and generates a plurality of messages related to the plurality of events. The electronic device further determines priorities of the plurality of messages, based on status information of the electronic device, and outputs the plurality of messages based on the determined priorities through at least one of the display and the sound output device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 16/655,269,filed Oct. 17, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,726,720), which is acontinuation of Ser. No.16/113,110, filed Aug. 27, 2018 (now U.S. Pat.No. 10,475,339), which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2017-0108666, filed on Aug. 28, 2017, the entire contents of each ofwhich are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method for processing a message anda electronic device implementing the method.

BACKGROUND

With the recent growth of communication, a communication technology foran electronic device to process information related to a running vehiclehas been also developed.

A vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology is one of remarkabletechnologies. The V2X technology may cover vehicle-to-vehiclecommunication (V2V), vehicle-to-road infrastructure communication (V2I),and vehicle-to-cloud communication (V2N). The electronic devices mayinclude a communication module for supporting the V2X technology. Thiscommunication module complies with the IEEE 802.11p standard.

Accordingly, using information transmitted between vehicles, theelectronic device can accurately grasp traffic information around avehicle in real time without a communication network infrastructure.This system is more accurate than a traditional navigation system.

However, because the electronic device that uses the V2X technologytransmits or receives a traffic information message to or from nearbyelectronic devices, this often causes excessive message transmission anda waste of network resources.

Also, as the electronic device receives messages indiscriminately, theuser of the electronic device may not be able to selectively perceiveimportant messages.

SUMMARY

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device is capable of processing messages in the order ofpriorities to provide more meaningful information to a user quickly.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may include a communication module comprisingcommunication circuitry, a display, a sound output device comprisingsound output circuitry, and a processor electrically connected to thecommunication module, the display, and the sound output device. Theelectronic device may further include a memory electrically connected tothe processor. The memory stores instructions which, when executed bythe processor, cause the electronic device to control the communicationmodule to transmit and/or receive a plurality of pieces of wirelessaccess in vehicular environment (WAVE) information, to identify aplurality of events based on the plurality of pieces of WAVEinformation, to generate a plurality of messages related to theplurality of events, to determine priorities of the plurality ofmessages based on status information of the electronic device, and tooutput the plurality of messages based on the determined prioritiesthrough at least one of the display and the sound output device.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may process messages in the order of their prioritiesand thereby quickly offer more meaningful information to a user.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when anevent having a higher priority is detected while messages are output,the electronic device may process first a message related to thedetected event and thereby promptly offer more important information toa user.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may vary a message display type depending on priority,thereby allowing a user to quickly grasp an importance of a message.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may not only display a message, but also output themessage by a voice, thereby effectively notifying the message to a user.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, where animpact is detected, the electronic device may promptly processinformation on an urgent situation by requesting emergency messageprocessing from a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a networkenvironment according to various embodiments;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are block diagrams illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an electronic device according to various embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating operations of processing amessage according to various embodiments;

FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flowcharts illustrating operations of processing amessage according to various embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating operations of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating a process of processing amessage according to various embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C are diagrams illustrating a process of processinga message according to various embodiments; and

FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C are diagrams illustrating a process of processinga message according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring toFIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), and/or an electronicdevice 104 and/or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., along-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device101 may include a processor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 120,memory 130, an input device (e.g., including input circuitry) 150, asound output device (e.g., including sound output circuitry) 155, adisplay device 160, an audio module (e.g., including audio circuitry)170, a sensor module 176, an interface (e.g., including interfacecircuitry) 177, a haptic module (e.g., including haptic circuitry) 179,a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, acommunication module (e.g., including communication circuitry) 190, asubscriber identification module (SIM) 196, and/or an antenna module197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 160 orthe camera module 180) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may include various processing circuitry and execute,for example, software (e.g., a program 140) to control at least oneother component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of theelectronic device 101 coupled with the processor 120, and may performvarious data processing or computation. According to an exampleembodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, theprocessor 120 may load a command or data received from another component(e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190) involatile memory 132, process the command or the data stored in thevolatile memory 132, and store resulting data in non-volatile memory134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include, forexample, and without limitation, a main processor 121 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU) and/or an application processor (AP), or thelike), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit(GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, and/or acommunication processor (CP), or the like) that is operableindependently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor 121.Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 and/or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data and/or output data for a command relatedthererto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, and without limitation, an operating system (OS)142, middleware 144, and/or an application 146, or the like.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include various input circuitry, such as, for example,and without limitation, a microphone, a mouse, and/or a keyboard, or thelike.

The sound output device 155 may include various sound output circuitryand output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101.The sound output device 155 may include various sound output circuitry,such as, for example, and without limitation, a speaker and/or areceiver, or the like. The speaker may be used for general purposes,such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receiver may beused for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver maybe implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, and without limitation, a display, a hologramdevice, and/or a projector, or the like and control circuitry to controla corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector.According to an embodiment, the display device 160 may include touchcircuitry adapted to detect a touch, or sensor circuitry (e.g., apressure sensor) adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred bythe touch.

The audio module 170 may include various audio circuitry and convert asound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to anembodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain the sound via the inputdevice 150, and/or output the sound via the sound output device 155and/or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronicdevice 102) directly (e.g., by wire) or wirelessly coupled with theelectronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 and/or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andgenerate an electrical signal and/or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, and without limitation, a gesture sensor, a gyrosensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, anacceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor,an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, ahumidity sensor, and/or an illuminance sensor, or the like.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., by wire) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may includevarious interface circuitry, such as, for example, and withoutlimitation, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, and/oran audio interface, or the like.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, andwithout limitation, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD cardconnector, and/or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector), orthe like.

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may includevarious haptic circuitry, such as, for example, and without limitation,a motor, a piezoelectric element, and/or an electric stimulator, or thelike.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to an example embodiment, the powermanagement module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, forexample, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may include various communication circuitryand support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel ora wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 andthe external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, theelectronic device 104, and/or the server 108) and performingcommunication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, and/or infrared data association(IrDA)) and/or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communicationnetwork, such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network(e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types ofcommunication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., asingle chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multichips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in acommunication network, such as the first network 198 or the secondnetwork 199, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identificationmodule 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include one or more antennas, and, therefrom, at least oneantenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 (e.g., thewireless communication module 192). The signal or the power may then betransmitted and/or received between the communication module 190 and theexternal electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, and without limitation, a portable communication device(e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device,a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, and/or a homeappliance, or the like. According to an embodiment of the disclosure,the electronic devices are not limited to those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and. C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include all possible combinations of the itemsenumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As usedherein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may beused to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, anddo not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order).It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) isreferred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), the element maybe coupled with the other element directly (e.g., via wire), wirelessly,or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and/or any combinations thereof, andmay interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, “logic,”“logic block,” “part,” or “circuitry”. A module may be a single integralcomponent, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one ormore functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module maybe implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure may be included andprovided in a computer program product. The computer program product maybe traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computerprogram product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readablestorage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or bedistributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online via an applicationstore (e.g., Play Store™), or between two user devices (e.g., smartphones) directly. If distributed online, at least part of the computerprogram product may be temporarily generated or at least temporarilystored in the machine-readable storage medium, such as memory of themanufacturer's server, a server of the application store, or a relayserver.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

Hereinafter, message processing methods according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 2A to 12.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are block diagrams illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may include awireless communication system having high speed, narrow range, and lowdelay characteristics in a vehicle environment with active mobility. Forthis purpose, the electronic device complies with the Wireless Access inVehicular Environment (WAVE) communication standard, which may includeIEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609 standards.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, an electronic device 201 a (e.g., theelectronic device 101 in FIG. 1) may include a WAVE module capable ofsupporting the WAVE communication according to various embodiments. Asan example, BT/WIFI (802.11p/ac/n/p) and security chip of the electronicdevice 201 a may correspond to the WAVE module 211 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, an electronic device 2011) (e.g., theelectronic device 101 in FIG. 1) may perform the WAVE communicationthrough communication with an external electronic device that supports aWAVE module. A reference numeral 211 b in FIG. 2B indicates adongle-type WAVE module that does not include a micro controller unit(MCU) corresponding to a central processing unit (CPU). The dongle-typeWAVE module 211 b may include a baseband controller, a transceiver, andthe like. The baseband controller may perform a function of controllinga frequency band obtained by all signals used to modulate a particularcarrier wave.

As illustrated in FIG. 2C, an electronic device 201 c (e.g., theelectronic device 101 in FIG. 1) may perform the WAVE communicationthrough communication with an external electronic device that supports aWAVE module. A reference numeral 211 c in FIG. 2C indicates the externalelectronic device that includes the MCU corresponding to the CPU. Theexternal electronic device 211 c including the WAVE module may includean ARM controller corresponding to the CPU, a V2X module controlled bythe ARM controller and capable of communication based on the WAVEcommunication standard, and a diplexer connected to the V2X module. Theexternal electronic device 211 c including the WAVE module may furtherinclude a PMIC for controlling a battery and a USB, at least one sensor,and the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments.

The electronic device may transmit and receive at least one piece ofinformation through WAVE communication to and from other electronicdevice, an infrastructure, or an external server. The at least one pieceof information may include, for example, and without limitation,information about latitude, longitude, elevation, a vehicle transmissionstate, a positional accuracy for each axis, a speed, a steering wheelangle, a brake system status, a vehicle size (length and width), or thelike. The electronic device may process such information as statusinformation of the electronic device. In a certain embodiment, based oninformation about latitude, longitude, and vehicle size of oneelectronic device corresponding to one vehicle and information aboutlatitude, longitude, and vehicle size received from another electronicdevice corresponding to another vehicle, it is possible to know whethertwo vehicles collide with each other.

The electronic device may identify at least one event from the at leastone piece of information transmitted and received. For example, the atleast one event may include a collision between the two vehicles asmentioned above.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may classify theidentified events into a plurality of cases. For example, the events maybe classified into a first accident notification event for notifying anaccident of a vehicle wirelessly connected to the electronic device toneighboring vehicles, a collision notification event for indicating acollision with a pedestrian and/or a vehicle, a second accidentnotification event for indicating an accident of another vehicle, anemergency notification event regarding an emergency vehicle such as afire truck and/or an ambulance, a traffic jam notification event, and/oran underprivileged notification event (optional). The underprivilegednotification event may, for example, and without limitation, be an eventfor indicating that a driver or a passenger is a pregnant woman, anovice driver, a disabled person, an elderly driver, or the like. Suchevents may have priorities. In addition, such events may be processedinto messages in the order of priorities, and then the messages may bedisplayed on a display of the electronic device or transmitted toanother electronic device to be displayed.

In an example embodiment, the electronic device may consider the firstaccident notification event as having a first priority.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may generate anevent-related message to notify the identified events to the userthereof and also deliver the generated message to users of otherelectronic devices.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 300 illustrates an example in which theelectronic device generates messages 301, 302, 303, 304 and 305 relatedto events which are identified based on information transmitted and/orreceived. The generated messages 301, 302, 303, 304 and 305 may bearranged in the order of time of occurrence. Reference numeral 350indicates that the electronic device processes the messages 301, 302,303, 304 and 305 through a specific algorithm. For example, the messages301, 302, 303, 304 and 305 may be rearranged in the order of priorities,selectively integrated, and/or selectively deleted.

In an example embodiment, the electronic device may check theduplication or relevancy of the identified events and, if there areduplicate or relevant events, process them into a single message. By wayof non-limiting example, a first pedestrian detection message 301 and asecond pedestrian detection message 305 may be integrated into apedestrian detection message 351. As another non-limiting example, atraffic jam detection message 302 and a novice driver detection message304 may be integrated into a traffic jam or novice driver detectionmessage 352. Through such integration of messages, the electronic devicemay output a simpler message such that the user can more easily andquickly check important or meaningful information.

In another embodiment, when processing the identified events intomessages, the electronic device may perform such processing based onnewly received information.

As one example, when a change in the status information of theelectronic device is detected as newly received information, theelectronic device may decide not to output a message. For example, if anaccident vehicle detection message 303 is output and then a relatedevent such as information indicating a change in driving direction isreceived, the electronic device may delete an accident vehicle detectionmessage 313 to be output subsequently.

As another example, when information related to external electronicdevices is received as newly received information, the electronic devicemay decide not to output a message. For example, if the accident vehicledetection message 303 is output and then a related event such asinformation indicating the completion of towing an accident vehicle isreceived, the electronic device may delete the accident vehicledetection message 313 to be output subsequently.

In still another embodiment, the electronic device may output messagesrelated to the identified events according to the priorities of theevents.

As described hereinbefore, the electronic device may identify events,based on information transmitted or received in real time, and generatemessages related to the identified events, and process the generatedmessages, based on at least one of priorities of the identified events,status information of the electronic device, and information related toexternal electronic devices.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 4, at operation 401, a processor (e.g., the processor120 in FIG. 1) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101in FIG. 1) may transmit and/or receive a plurality of pieces ofinformation in real time. At operation 402, the processor may identify aplurality of events, based on the transmitted and/or receivedinformation.

At operation 403, the processor may generate a plurality of messagesrelated to the identified events.

At operation 404, the processor may determine the priorities of thegenerated messages, based on status information of the electronicdevice. At operation 405, the processor may output the generatedmessages based on the determined priorities.

In an example embodiment, if it is determined, based on the statusinformation of the electronic device, there is a need to output a newmessage having a higher priority than a currently output message, theelectronic device may output the new message instead of the currentlyoutput message. This will be described in greater detail below withreference to FIGS. 5A to 6B.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating operations of processing amessage according to various embodiments. FIG. 5C. is a diagramillustrating a process of processing a message according to variousembodiments.

Referring to FIG. 5A, at operation 501, a processor (e.g., the processor120 in FIG. 1) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101in FIG. 1) may transmit and/or receive a plurality of pieces ofinformation in real time. At operation 502, the processor may identify aplurality of events, based on the transmitted or received information.

At operation 503, the processor generate a plurality of messages relatedto the identified events.

At operation 504, the processor may determine the priorities of thegenerated messages, based on status information of the electronicdevice.

At operation 505, the processor may output the generated messages basedon the determined priorities. At this time, the messages may bedisplayed in the form of, e.g., a pop-up message on a display (e.g., thedisplay 160 in FIG. 1) of the electronic device and/or be output in theform of voice through a sound output device (e.g., the sound outputdevice 155 in FIG. 1) of the electronic device. The sound output actionof messages may be made together with, or before, or after the displayaction of messages. This operation 505 will be described in greaterdetail below. For example, as indicated by a reference numeral 514 inFIG. 5C, the electronic device may output a message for indicating theoccurrence of a traffic jam.

When new information is received as the status of the electronic deviceis changed, the processor may identify a new event based on the receivednew information at operation 506. For example, as indicated by areference numeral 515 in FIG. 5C, the electronic device may detect thepresence of a pedestrian, based on information indicating the presenceof a pedestrian near the electronic device, while outputting the abovemessage for indicating the occurrence of a traffic jam.

At operation 507, the processor may determine whether there is a messagebeing output.

If it is determined at operation 507 that there is no message beingoutput, the processor may return to the above-described operation 503 togenerate a message related to the newly identified event. Then, theprocessor output the generated message according to the priority of theevent.

If it is determined at operation 507 that there is a message beingoutput, the processor may determine at operation 508 whether the newevent has a higher priority than an event related to the message beingoutput.

If it is determined at operation 508 that the new event has a lowerpriority than an event related to the message being output, theprocessor may return to the above-described operation 503 to generate amessage related to the newly identified event. Then, the processoroutput the generated message according to the priority of the event.

If it is determined at operation 508 that the new event has a higherpriority than an event related to the message being output, theprocessor may perform operation 509 in FIG. 5B.

At operation 509, the processor may interrupt the message beingcurrently output. For example, in FIG. 5C, the processor may stopdisplaying the message related to a traffic jam detection event and/orstop outputting the message by voice.

The processor may generate a message related to the newly identifiedevent at operation 510 and output the generated message at operation511. For example, as indicated by a reference numeral 516 in FIG. 5C,the electronic device may output a message related to the pedestriandetection event. That is, the message related to the pedestriandetection event may be displayed in the form of, e.g., a pop-up messageon the display of the electronic device and/or be output in the form ofvoice through the sound output device of the electronic device.

At operation 512, the processor may determine whether the output of themessage related to the new event is finished.

If it is determined at operation 512 that the output of the messagerelated to the new event is not finished, the processor may return tothe above-described operation 511.

If it is determined at operation 512 that the output of the messagerelated to the new event is finished, the processor may performoperation 513.

At operation 513, the processor may output the previous interruptedmessage again because of the output of the current message related tothe new event. For example, as indicated by a reference numeral 517 inFIG. 5C, the message related to the traffic jam detection event, whichhas been interrupted previously, may be output again when the output ofthe message related to the pedestrian detection event as a new event isfinished.

Hereinafter, operations of processing a message will be described withreference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 6.A is a flowchart illustrating operations of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 6A illustratesdetailed operations of the above-described operation 513 of FIG. 5B.

At operation 601, the processor may check the priority of theinterrupted message, based on the status information of the electronicdevice. At operation 602, the processor may determine whether there is amessage having a higher priority than that of the interrupted message.If it is determined at operation 602 that there is no message having ahigher priority than that of the interrupted message, the processor mayoutput the interrupted message again at operation 603.

If it is determined at operation 602 that there is a message having ahigher priority than that of the interrupted message, the processor mayoutput the message having a higher priority.

FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating operations of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 6B illustratesdetailed operations of the above-described operation 603 of FIG. 6A.

At operation 611, the processor may check the amount of output of theinterrupted message. For example, the processor may determine whether avoice output of a message related to a traffic jam detection eventcorresponds to only a message title or more than half of messagecontents.

At operation 612, the processor may determine whether the amount ofoutput of the interrupted message exceeds a predetermined threshold. Ifit is determined at operation 612 that the amount of output of theinterrupted message exceeds the predetermined threshold, the processormay perform operation 613.

At operation 613, the processor may output a part of the interruptedmessage. For example, the processor may output only the message title oroutput a non-output part of the message again.

If it is determined at operation 612 that the amount of output of theinterrupted message does not exceed the predetermined threshold, theprocessor may perform operation 614.

At operation 614, the processor may output the entire contents of theinterrupted message again.

Meanwhile, according to various embodiments, when an impact is detectedwhile event-related messages are output according to priorities, theelectronic device may request a user input and, if any user input is notreceived within a predetermined time, process an emergency message.Hereinafter, details will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8A,and 8B.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating operations of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagramsillustrating a process of processing a message according to variousembodiments.

Referring to FIG. 7, at operation 700, a processor (e.g., the processor120 in FIG. 1) of an electronic device the electronic device 101 inFIG. 1) may transmit and/or receive a plurality of pieces of informationin real time. For example, the plurality of pieces of information mayinclude WAVE information. At operation 701, the processor may identify aplurality of events, based on the transmitted or received information.At operation 702, the processor may generate a plurality of messagesrelated to the identified events. At operation 703, the processor maydetermine the priorities of the generated messages, based on statusinformation of the electronic device. At operation 704, the processormay output the generated messages based on the determined priorities.

At operation 705, the processor may determine whether an impact isdetected. If it is determined at operation 705 that there is no detectedimpact, the processor may return to the above-described operation 704.

If it is determined at operation 705 that there is a detected impact,the processor may perform operation 706. For example, when impactdetection data is received from a sensor the sensor module 176 inFIG. 1) of the electronic device, the processor may determine that thereis a detected impact.

At operation 706, the processor may display a user interface forrequesting a user input.

At operation 707, the processor may determine whether there is aspecific user input received through the user interface.

If it is determined at operation 707 that the specific user input isreceived through the user interface, the processor may return to theabove-described operation 704 to output the generated messages accordingto the priorities without consideration of the detected impact.

If it is determined at operation 707 that the specific user input is notreceived through the user interface, the processor may process anemergency message at operation 708.

Referring to FIG. 8A, an electronic device 801 may display a userinterface 811 on a display 812. The user interface 811 may contain anemergency message, which may include a message icon 811 a, a messagetitle 811 b, and message contents 811 c. For example, the messagecontents 811 c may be as follows: “An accident was detected. An accidentalert will be sent to nearby vehicles.” The emergency message may alsoinclude at least one button or icon for processing the message, such asa send button 811 d and a cancel button 811 e. Further, although notshown, the electronic device 801 may output the emergency message byvoice to the user.

As one example, when a user input of touching the cancel button 811 e isreceived through the user interface 811, the electronic device 801 mayoutput previously generated messages according to their prioritieswithout processing the emergency message, e.g., without considering of adetected impact. For example, when a vehicle connected to the electronicdevice 801 passes a speed bump, an impact may be detected. In this case,the user of the electronic device 801 may touch the cancel button 811 eon the user interface 811 displayed on the display 812 such that theelectronic device 801 can recognize this case as a non-accident.

As another example, when no user input is received through the userinterface 811 for a certain time, the electronic device 801 may send theemergency message to external electronic devices. In addition, when auser input of touching the send button 811 d is received through theuser interface 811, the electronic device 801 may immediately send theemergency message to the external electronic devices. For example, whena vehicle connected to the electronic device 801 collides with anothervehicle, the electronic device 801 may detect an impact. In this case,if any user input is not received through the user interface 811 for acertain time, the electronic device 801 may determine the user to beunconscious due to the collision and thus send the emergency message tothe external electronic devices.

Referring to FIG. 8B, the electronic device 801 may display the userinterface 811 on the display 812. The user interface 811 may contain anemergency message including the message icon 811 a, the message title811 b, and the message contents 811 c. For example, the message contents811 c may be as follows: “An accident was detected. An accident alertwill be sent to nearby vehicles. If not, please say ‘cancel’ or ‘do notsend alert’.” The emergency message may also include at least one buttonor icon for processing the message, such as the send button 811 d andthe cancel button 811 e. Further, although not shown, the electronicdevice 801 may output the emergency message by voice to the user.

When a specific voice input such as ‘cancel’ or ‘do not send alert’ isreceived through the user interface 811, the electronic device 801 mayoutput previously generated messages according to their prioritieswithout processing the emergency message, e.g., without considering of adetected impact. For example, when a vehicle connected to the electronicdevice 801 passes a speed hump, an impact may be detected. In this case,the user of the electronic device 801 may enter a voice input such as‘cancel’ or ‘do not send alert’ such that the electronic device 801 canrecognize this case as a non-accident.

FIGS. 9, 10, 11, 12A, 12B and 12C show various examples of messagesdisplayed on an electronic device according to various embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 9, an electronicdevice 901 may display a message 911 on a display 912, The message 911may include a message icon 911 a, a message title 911 b, and messagecontents 911 c. For example, the message title 911 b may be “traffic jamdetection”, and the message contents 911 c may be as follows: “A trafficjam was detected in front of 1 km. Be careful when entering this area.There's a bypass on the right.” Also, the electronic device 901 mayoutput the message 911 by voice to the user. As one example, theelectronic device 901 may output the message title 911 b and the messagecontents 911 c by voice. As another example, the electronic device 901may display the message 911 on the display 912 for about two seconds andthen output the message title 911 b and the message contents 911 c byvoice.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 10, the electronicdevice may display a message 1011 on the display. The message 1011 mayinclude a message icon 1011 a, a message title 1011 b, and messagecontents 1011 c. For example, the message title 1011 b may be “trafficjam detection”, and the message contents 1011 c may be as follows: “Atraffic jam was detected in front of 1 km. Be careful when entering thisarea. There's a bypass on the right.” Also, the electronic device mayoutput the message 1011 by voice to the user.

When the message 1011 is related to a high priority event, theelectronic device may output the message 1011 in two steps. In the firststep, the electronic device may perform the display of the message andthe voice output of the message at the same time. Alternatively, theelectronic device may display the message for two seconds only, forexample. After the message disappears, the electronic device may outputthe message title 1011 b and the message contents 1011 c by voice. Inthe second step, the electronic device may display only the messagetitle 1011 b or output again the message title 1011 b by voice with anincreased volume.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing a messageaccording to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 11, an electronicdevice 1101 may display a message on a display 1112. The message mayinclude a message icon 1111 a, a message title 1111 b, and messagecontents 1111 c. For example, the message title 1111 b may be “trafficjam detection”, and the message contents 1111 c may be as follows: “Atraffic jam was detected in front of 0.2 km. Be careful when enteringthis area. There's a bypass on the right.” Also, the electronic devicemay output the message by voice to the user.

When a message is related to a high priority event, the electronicdevice 1101 may output the message on a portion of the display 1112 andalso display a visual effect on an edge area 1120 of the display 1112.In this case, depending on priorities, the electronic device 1101 mayvary the visual effect displayed on the edge area 1120.

FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C are diagrams illustrating a process of processinga message according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate that the message may be displayeddifferently according to priority. In addition, FIGS. 12B and 12Cillustrate that the message may he displayed differently depending onwhether an electronic device 1201 is connected to a vehicle or anelectronic device 1251 is used by a pedestrian.

In an example embodiment, referring to FIG. 12A, the electronic device1201 may be connected to a vehicle (not shown). The electronic device1201 may display a message 1211 related to a low priority event on anupper portion of a display 1220. The message 1211 may include a messageicon 1211 a, a message title 1211 b, and message contents 1211 c. Forexample, the message title 1211 b may be “traffic jam detection”, andthe message contents 1211 c may be as follows: “A traffic jam wasdetected in front of 1 km. Be careful when entering this area. There's abypass on the right.” Also, the electronic device 1201 may output themessage 1211 by voice to the user. As one example, the electronic device1201 may output the message title 1211 b and the message contents 1211 cby voice. As another example, the electronic device 1201 may display themessage 1211 on the display 1220 for about two seconds and then outputthe message title 1211 b and the message contents 1211 c by voice.

In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 12B, the electronic device 1201may be connected to a vehicle (not shown). The electronic device 1201may display a message 1212 related to a high priority event on a centralportion of the display 1220. At this time, the electronic device 1201may darken the display 1220 except for the central portion to highlightthe message 1212. As another example, the electronic device 1201 mayapply a highlight effect such as a flicking animation effect to thedisplay 1220 or the message 1212. The message 1212 may include a messageicon 1212 a, a message title 1212 b, and message contents 1212 c. Forexample, the message title 1212 b may be “pedestrian detection”, and themessage contents 1212 c may be as follows: “A pedestrian was detected infront of N km. Be careful when entering this area:” Also, the electronicdevice 1201 may output the message 1212 by voice to the user. As oneexample, the electronic device 1201 may output the message title 1212 band the message contents 1212 c by voice. As another example, theelectronic device 1201 may display the message 1212 on the display 1220for about two seconds and then output the message title 1212 b and themessage contents 1212 c by voice.

In still another embodiment, referring to FIG. 12C, the electronicdevice 1251 may be used by a pedestrian. The electronic device 1251 maydisplay both a user interface 1251 a and a message 1251 b related to ahigh priority event on a central portion of the display. At this time,the electronic device 1251 may continuously display the message 1251 buntil a user's touch input is received through the user interface 1251a. Also, the electronic device 1251 may darken the display except forthe central portion in order to highlight the user interface 1251 a andthe message 1251 b. For example, the message 1251 b may be as follows:“A car crash risk was detected. Be careful.” Also, the electronic device1251 may output the message 1251 b by voice to the user. In this case,the electronic device 1251 may continuously output the message 1251 b byvoice until a user's touch input is received through the user interface1251 a.

FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C are diagrams illustrating a process of processinga message according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C illustrate examples of displaying a message byvarying a message display area and an icon size, depending on aprocessing urgency and a distance between an electronic device and anevent occurrence place. For example, even though messages have the samecontents, the electronic device may determine the importance of suchmessages differently according to a distance between the electronicdevice and the event occurrence place and then display a more importantmessage in a greater size.

In an example embodiment, referring to FIG. 13A, the electronic device1301 a connected to a vehicle (not shown) may execute a navigationapplication and display a related screen (e.g., a map) on the display.When a certain event occurs, the electronic device may display alocation 1330 a thereof and an event occurrence place 1320 a on anavigation screen 1312 in the form of respective icons. Also, theelectronic device may determine that a distance between the eventoccurrence place 1320 a and the electronic device location 1330 a isabout 1 km. In addition, the electronic device may generate a messagerelated to the event on an upper portion of the display. The message mayinclude a message icon 1311 a, a message title 1311 b, and messagecontents 1311 c. For example, the message title 1311 b may be “accidentoccurrence”, and the message contents 1311 c may be as follows: “Anaccident occurred in front of 1 km. Be careful when entering this area.”Also, the electronic device may output the message by voice to the user.

Referring to FIG. 13B, after displaying the message as described above,the electronic device 1301 b may continuously monitor a distance betweenan event occurrence place 1320 b and an electronic device location 1330b. As this distance becomes shorter, an icon displayed to represent theevent occurrence place 1320 b on the screen may be gradually enlarged.That is, in inverse proportion to the distance, the icon of the eventoccurrence place 1320 b may be increased in size. For example, based onthe time point the message is initially displayed, the icon size mayincrease by N % when the distance decreases by N %.

Referring to FIG. 13C, when the distance between the event occurrenceplace and the electronic device location is smaller than a giventhreshold while the status of the electronic device 1301 c is notchanged after the output of the initial message, the electronic devicemay display a secondary message 1321 on a central portion of thedisplay. The electronic device may enlarge a font size of the secondarymessage and an icon size of the secondary message. The secondary message1321 may include a message icon 1321 a, a message title 1321 b, andmessage contents 1321 c. For example, the message title 1321 b may be“accident occurrence”, and the message contents 1321 c may be asfollows: “An accident occurred in front of 200 m. Be careful whenentering this area.” Also, the electronic device may output thesecondary message by voice to the user. At this time, a voice output ofthe secondary message may have a greater volume than the initialmessage.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when theuser of the electronic device is driving a vehicle or walking, theelectronic device may output a safety-related WAVE message prior to theexecution of other applications.

As one example, if there is a need to output a WAVE message while theuser is driving a vehicle with a music application being executed, theelectronic device may change the playback of music to a backgroundstate, minimize the volume of music, and output the WAVE message.

As another example, if there is a need to output a WAVE message whilethe user is in a call, the electronic device may mix a voice output ofthe WAVE message with the other party's call voice and then output it.

As still another example, if the user is in a state of being incapableof seeing the screen of the electronic device, e.g., in a busy state,the electronic device may request an external electronic device (e.g., awearable device) connected to the electronic device to output themessage.

While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described withreference to various example embodiments thereof, it will be understoodthat the examples are merely illustrative and not limiting. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the subject matterand scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a communicationmodule comprising communication circuitry; a display; a processorelectrically connected to the communication module, and the display; anda memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the memorystores instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configuredto cause the electronic device to: control the communication module totransmit and/or receive a plurality of pieces of information, identifyan event based on the plurality of pieces of information, generate amessage related to the identified event, identify a distance between theelectronic device and an event occurrence place corresponding theidentified event, control the display to display the message based onthe identified distance, detect a change in the distance between theelectronic device and the event occurrence place corresponding theidentified event, and control the display to update the displayedmessage related to the identified event based on the changed distancebetween the electronic device and the event occurrence place.
 2. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed bythe processor, further cause the electronic device to: identify a firstdisplay type based on the identified distance, and control the displayto display the message based on the first display type.
 3. Theelectronic device of claim 2, wherein the first display type includes atleast one of a display area of the message, a font size of the messageor a location of the message, corresponding to the identified distance.4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, further cause the electronic device to:identify a second display type different from the first display typebased on the changed distance between the electronic device and theevent occurrence place, and control the display to update the displayedmessage based on the second display type.
 5. The electronic device ofclaim 4, wherein the second display type includes at least one of adisplay area of the message, a font size of the message or a location ofthe message, corresponding to the changed distance.
 6. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by theprocessor, further cause the electronic device to: determine whether thechanged distance between the electronic device and the event occurrenceplace is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and in response todetermination that the changed distance between the electronic deviceand the event occurrence place is smaller than a predeterminedthreshold, control the display to update the displayed message based onthe changed distance between the electronic device and the eventoccurrence place.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, furthercomprising: a sound output device comprising sound output circuitry,wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further causethe electronic device to: output the messages based on the identifieddistance through the sound output device.
 8. The electronic device ofclaim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the electronic device to: identify a first volume based onthe identified distance, and output the messages based on the firstvolume through the sound output device.
 9. The electronic device ofclaim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the electronic device to: identify a second volumedifferent from the first volume based on the changed distance betweenthe electronic device and the event occurrence place, and output themessages based on the second volume through the sound output device. 10.A method of processing message of an electronic device, the methodcomprising: transmitting and/or receiving a plurality of pieces ofinformation; identifying an event based on the plurality of pieces ofinformation; generating a message related to the identified event;identifying a distance between the electronic device and an eventoccurrence place corresponding the identified event; displaying themessage based on the identified distance; detecting a change in thedistance between the electronic device and the event occurrence placecorresponding the identified event; and updating the displayed messagerelated to the identified event based on the changed distance betweenthe electronic device and the event occurrence place.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the displaying the message comprises: identifying afirst display type based on the identified distance, and displaying themessage based on the first display type.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the first display type includes at least one of a display areaof the message, a font size of the message or a location of the message,corresponding to the identified distance.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the updating the displayed message comprises: identifying asecond display type different from the first display type based on thechanged distance between the electronic device and the event occurrenceplace, and updating the displayed message based on the second displaytype.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second display typeincludes at least one of a display area of the message, a font size ofthe message or a location of the message, corresponding to the changeddistance.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the updating the displayedmessage comprises: determining whether the changed distance between theelectronic device and the event occurrence place is smaller than apredetermined threshold, and in response to determination that thechanged distance between the electronic device and the event occurrenceplace is smaller than a predetermined threshold, updating the displayedmessage based on the changed distance between the electronic device andthe event occurrence place.
 16. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: outputting the messages based on the identified distancethrough a sound output device of the electronic device.
 17. The methodof claim 16, wherein the outputting the message comprises: identifying afirst volume based on the identified distance, and outputting themessages based on the first volume through the sound output device. 18.The method of claim 17, further comprising: identifying a second volumedifferent from the first volume based on the changed distance betweenthe electronic device and the event occurrence place, and outputting themessages based on the second volume through the sound output device. 19.An electronic device comprising: a communication module comprisingcommunication circuitry; a display; a processor electrically connectedto the communication module, and the display; and a memory operativelyconnected to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that,when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to: controlthe communication module to transmit and/or receive a plurality ofpieces of information, identify an event based on the plurality ofpieces of information, identify a distance between the electronic deviceand an event occurrence place corresponding the identified event,control the display to display a first icon corresponding to the eventoccurrence place based on the identified distance, detect a change inthe distance between the electronic device and the event occurrenceplace corresponding the identified event, and control the display todisplay a second icon corresponding to the event occurrence placedifferent from the first icon based on the changed distance between theelectronic device and the event occurrence place.
 20. The electronicdevice of claim 19, wherein the first icon and the second icon aredifferent in size.